Water and Combat
by Sunzu49
Summary: This is the first fan fiction I've really started working on! It's a bit of a canon divergence alternate universe, with Book Two of Legend of Korra. The pairing is Desna and Asami Sato.
1. Chapter 1

Asami Sato tried to make her way through the crowd, who were all beginning to head to the annual Glacier Spirits Festival. She had no plans of going to the festival tonight, as she was currently busy trying to find a way to save her father's company, the Future Industries. She heard a famous businessman known as Varrick was in town, and had planned to have her friend Bolin help her in making a deal with him.

Asami had to shift this way and that from the number of people walking in the opposite direction.

"Sorry, pardon me," she occasionally said.

For a second, she turned her head to the side, to glance back at the colorful festival Avatar Korra, Mako, and later on, Bolin, would be attending. But before she could look back to where she was going, she bumped right into someone! It was a pretty sudden bump, so it jolted the two to the cold ground.  
After landing with a grunt, Asami quickly looked up to see two dark-skinned, long-haired figures, dressed in long, traditional Water Tribe coats. The one she had bumped into was on his knees, slowly getting up, while the other one looked down at the former with a slightly concerned stare.

"I'm so sorry!" Asami exclaimed worriedly with her hands in front of her face. "It's my fault! I didn't look where I was going!"

"It's fine," the young man replied, raising his palm to her, "Neither was I."

His face was cast down at the ground, not looking up at Asami, even as he got back up on his feet.

"Are you okay?" the girl accompanying the boy asked him, not looking at Asami.

"Yes."

"Yeah, I'm fine, too," Asami added, wiping off whatever dirt got on the bottom of her dark blue jacket after she stood back up. "Heading to the festival, huh?"

"Yes," the girl replied, now looking at Asami. She and the boy both had blank expressions on their faces. "Our father is making us go. Our cousin, the Avatar, will be there as well."

Asami's eyes snapped open a bit when she heard "Our cousin."

"Wait...you mean Korra?"

"Why, of course," answered the boy, who also now had his eyes towards her. "We are related to the Avatar. My name is Desna."

"And I am Eska," said the girl.

"And I'm Asami," Asami introduced herself a little meekly, briefly shifting her eyes to the side. "I met Korra over a year ago, and have been good friends with her since. Um, listen, I'm going to be late, so, let her know I met you two, okay?"

With a smile on her face, Asami waved good-bye to Desna and Eska as she started to walk past them.

"And again, I'm sorry!" she added after she was a few feet away from them.

"It is fine," Desna assured.

As she turned her head back this time, there was now virtually no more people to get in her way. Relieved, she then thought back to what she had noticed about Desna and Eska: They were identical twins, no doubt. Brother and sister. While the brother appeared to be as feminine as his sister, the differences were that Desna simply wore his hair down, while Eska had hers in two ponytails at both sides of her face, and she had some visible purple eyeliner seen from the corners of her eyes. Not to mention, their voices - while both monotonous, Desna's was deep while Eska's was raspy.

For a minute, Asami felt like she was a little entranced with Desna - never had she met a boy who seemed so calm, patient, and spoke in such a casual tone. Laughing a little, she had to remind herself that there was more important business to take care of, and would think about Korra's cousins later. Besides, her last romantic relationship ended terribly! First, she had to meet with Bolin, who was probably now waiting for her by Varrick's ship.

After Asami was gone from sight, the twins then thought over to what they noticed about her: A young, pale-skinned woman with green eyes and stark, raven black hair. She had her lips painted red, her eyelids shadowed in light purple, and eyelashes slightly extended.

Desna, along with Eska, may have hated the South, and its people including Korra, but he did not think he should also have a distaste towards the woman who appeared to care so much.

"She seemed rather prissy," Eska suddenly remarked, turning towards Desna, "Don't you think?"

Desna pretended to silently agree.


	2. Chapter 2

The Avatar was standing in the middle of the Glacier Spirits festival, happily observing around, awaiting what fun things she and her boyfriend Mako would do later that evening after a royal feast. Two of her Water Tribe uncles, Unalaq and Tonraq, were accompanying her, but with a more serious look on their faces.

"Cousin Korra," Eska addressed to the Avatar as she and Desna approached. "We have some rather mundane news to bring to you."

"Oh?" Korra went, "What is it?"

Korra's relationship with Desna and Eska was always quite distant, so it kind of confused her when they would speak to her from time to time.

"On our way here," Eska responded, "we ran into a girl caked in make-up, who claimed to be a friend of yours."

"Make-up...?" Korra wondered, before realizing, "Oh. You mean Asami?"

"Correct," Desna responded. "I was not paying enough attention to where I was heading, and we had bumped into one another. She quickly apologized, and we introduced ourselves as cousins of the Avatar. Surprised by this, she told us to tell you that we have met."

Korra gave a little laugh at the thought of a still, stoic being like Desna clumsily bumping into someone because he did not look where he was going.

"Well, you better be more attentive next time," Korra advised.

Desna narrowed his eyes a bit, which was expected.

"Thanks for telling me," the Avatar added.

As Desna and Eska nodded to Korra and turned away to go off on their own around the festival, the latter again turned to the former.

"Don't worry, Desna," Eska remarked, "That girl was way more clumsy than I've ever known you to be."

"Hmm," was Desna's reply, casting his eyes down.

...

Later that evening, when the sun was cast down, and the lights around the festival could now be turned on, all that Desna and Eska seemed to do was stand and look around. Playing games or eating snacks were not of their interest.

Nearby, Mako and Korra were playfully feeding each other cotton candy. Korra giggled as Mako fed some in her mouth. Next to them was Bolin, Mako's younger brother, who had recently arrived after helping Asami meet with the eccentric Varrick to make a deal. He was busy eating rice balls on a stick, but hearing Korra's giggles made him turn to the couple with a look of annoyance and disgust.

Bolin then turned back to notice the twins standing not too far away. He had had his eyes on Eska since she arrived (and mistook Desna for a girl, too, before he was corrected).Taking another bite of his rice ball, Bolin then worked up a smile and nudged Mako with his elbow to get his attention.

"Wish me luck," Bolin declared, handing his snack over, "I'm making my move."

"Good luck," Mako said blandly as he watched his younger brother make his way towards Eska.

"Those two have always creeped me out," Korra admitted. She then crinkled her eyebrows uneasily, "They smell like a...grandma's attic."

"Hey, I'm Bolin," he announced once he approached the twins, "a friend of Korra's. You're Eska, right? Wow, I-I'm...I'm loving those robes."

While he spoke, the twins were staring at a different direction. But after he was done, Desna turned his eyes to glare at the green-clad man, while Eska turned her head sharply to make a small, but audible hiss at him. Bolin was startled, but he chose to continue.

"Oh, uh," he uttered. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to... um, disturb you. I think I'll be heading back now."

But before he could, he heard the boy speak up.

"I think he is trying to establish some kind of bond with you based on your geographic point of origin," Desna told his sister. Eska thought about this with slightly curious eyes.

"Perhaps it would be interesting to spend time with a person whose ways are so rough and uncultured," she decided. Turning back to Bolin, a smile slowly appeared on her face. "You amuse me. I will make you mine."

Bolin's hopes rose up again, but he had doubts. "You mean like a boyfriend...or, you mean, like a slave?" he asked nervously.

"Yes," was Eska's response. She quickly then grabbed at his collar. "Win me prizes."

Dragging him off with her brother, Bolin began laughing nervously.

"Now, wait," he tried to assure Eska (still grabbing at his collar with a deadpan expression on her face), "You- _We_ \- don't _really_ have to do this! It's probably just a mistake! I-I'm sorry if I bothered you and your brother!"

As Eska lead Bolin over to a dart-throwing booth, with the instructor explaining to the boy how to play and win, Desna began to wonder what it would be like for him to establish a bond with someone. His sister's romantic relationship started immediately. How would it turn out for him, he wondered.

...

As the night wore on, Korra, Mako, and the adults accompanying them eventually left the festival. Bolin had to ask Eska to have permission to leave as well, which she allowed. As Desna and Eska were getting ready to leave too, Desna noticed that the woman he had bumped into earlier was here, standing near one of the gaming booths, looking around curiously.

"Eska," Desna told his sister, "why don't you leave with our father, and tell him that I would like to stay here a little longer?"

"Oh, um...," Eska muttered, quite confused by her brother's sudden apparent interest in this place. "Sure."

And with that, she walked away with a puzzled expression. After she was gone, Desna turned back to see Asami still standing nearby. He walked over to her.

"Excuse me," he told her, "Did we not meet earlier? By accident?"

"Oh, hi!" Asami said, turning to him, happily surprised. "I didn't see you there!"

"Everyone else has left," Desna explained, "but I...happened to notice you here, and..."

His voice trailed off as his eyes faced towards the ground. But he found the words to continue: "I only wanted to converse with you."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you," Asami said. "Yeah, I actually wasn't planning on coming here tonight, but it looked like I did have enough time, and well, here I am."

"This place will only continue to be open for a handful of minutes," Desna said, "What shall we do together in the meantime?"

"Well, I was just browsing through the booths here to see for myself," Asami informed, turning to her side and extending her gloved hand to show Desna the row of booths. "I haven't tried the cotton candy yet."

"Swell," Desna said with his usual deadpan expression, "How does it sound to buy one for us to share?"

"Aww, you really are sweet," Asami kindly remarked.

So the pair then purchased one stick of cotton candy. They did not playfully feed each other like Mako and Korra did earlier; they picked their own individual pieces instead.

After that, Desna expressed some interest in playing a game where he had to squirt water from a fish-shaped gun to aim at the mouth of a caricature cutout of what looked like a cute, midget-version of Aang, the Avatar before Korra. He had little to no effort with aiming at the target, although Asami still cheered him on. When Desna won, he recieved a big plush toy of a flying bison with its tongue hanging out.

"Would you like this?" Desna asked Asami. He felt a little timid, but it did not show.

"Oh, really?" Asami said with widened eyes and a smile. She glady accepted the plush and gazed at it. "Thank you. This is really cute."  
Desna was unsure if she meant whether the flying bison plush or the gesture itself was cute. He chose not to ask, and change the subject.

"Listen, Asami," he began, "I would like to-"

But before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden loud crash. Alarmed, Desna and Asami turned their heads to see a strange, dark purple figure in the distance. It looked like it had crashed through the festival fence, skidding across the ground. As it found its balance, there was then a rain of fire attacking it. Asami and Desna looked up to see someone in blue, floating in the sky with a small tornado around their waist, blasting fireballs from their hands at the creature.

"Is that...Korra?" Asami realized in amazement.

"And a dark spirit," Desna said in a very serious tone.

"What?! Dark spirit?" Asami turned to him in fright.

"Yes. We must leave at once."

Desna took a light grab at Asami's arm, and they both ran out as fast as they could. There seemed to be no more people at the festival, they noticed when they reached the entrance.

"This seems to be a matter my father would require for me to know," Desna said breathlessly. "My sister Eska and I...we're very spiritual. But never have I seen something like that happen before."

"I hope Korra will be okay," Asami said a little breathless, looking back, but unable to see the fight anymore. "I should get home. You, too." She put her hand on Desna's shoulder and made a small smile. "It was really nice spending time with you. I hope we meet again."

"Me, too," Desna said.

"Farewell," Asami bid as she then walked away.

As she left, Desna turned to go home, but not before doing something he had not done in a while: he smiled a little.


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning, Asami awoke from her slumber in the apartment flat she was staying in. As she rose from bed, wearing light pink cotton pajamas and stretched, she noticed the bison plushy that was placed by the window. What she also remembered was the sudden and frightening fight between Korra and the dark spirit. If something had happened to the Avatar, Asami was sure she would have found out by now.

In one of the huts, built by a snowy cliff, not very far from where the festival took place last night, Desna and Eska woke up. They were lying in sleeping bags next to each other.

"Good morning, Desna," Eska yawned.

"Morning."

"What happened last night caused quite a ruckus," Eska began to explain. "While you were not here, a dark spirit appeared, awoke us all, and seemed to be after the Avatar. The Avatar's foolish friends tried to fight it to no avail. But finally, our father made it go way by surrounding it with glowing water."

"Your sister's right," said their father Unalaq, as he entered the hut, having apparently heard Eska's explanation. "And now, I've talked with Korra, who's chosen me as her new bending master over Tenzin."

The twins' faces, while still tired, became curious.

"The attack that happened last night," Unalaq continued, "I believe was the fault of the people here in the South. Because they have abandoned their spiritual connections, the spirits have now chosen to attack, our tribe included."

Desna and Eska looked at each other in concern, and back at their father.

"Get ready," Unalaq ordered, "We will be taking a trip to the South Pole with Korra this afternoon."

Unalaq then walked back out of the hut. Eska again turned to her brother.

"So, what exactly were you doing last night?"

Desna's eyes widened a bit.

"Why were you suddenly so interested in spending some more time at the festival? You and I have been raised to be very spiritual, and that festival our father used to know has lost its meaning."

"Asami," Desna simply said. "The girl who bumped into me the day before. She was there."

"Oh, the prissy one," Eska remarked, which felt like a light stab at Desna's chest. Eska remembered how she became Bolin's girlfriend for being fascinated by his simple ways last night, and then realized the connection. "Ah, I see," Eska then said with a smile, "She amuses you, so you made her yours."

Desna felt a little embarrassed, before responding.

"She's not…mine, as you'd say. We only became friends. She does not seem to be fully aware of how I feel. But we both hope to meet again."

"Desna, you and I never fail to be honest with each other," Eska said, still smiling playfully, knowing that her brother has his eye on someone like Bolin did with her.


	4. Chapter 4

In the afternoon, about two days after the trip to the South Pole, Desna and Eska were riding through the streets of the Southern Water Tribe. Sitting in a rickshaw meant for two passengers, they were being hauled by Bolin, who had by this point, become exhausted, though he continued under Eska's orders. Desna was holding Bolin's pet fire ferret, Pabu, in his lap.

"I will hate to leave this quaint tribe," Eska said as she gazed at her surroundings.

"Is that true, Eska?" Desna asked doubtfully as he looked at her.

"Of course not, Desna. I will not miss it at all," Eska replied, looking back at him. She then lowered her head a little and narrowed her eyes in disgust. "I hold immense dislike for the South."

Aware of their mutual dislike, Eska let out an odd, cawing laugh. Desna followed with a high-pitched one.

"Bolin!" Eska shouted over to her boyfriend, "Laugh at my humorous quip!"

"Yes, dear," Bolin answered, panting and sweating. He forced out a weak laugh. "So...so funny," he muttered nervously.

Desna, holding Pabu's paws, absent-mindedly tugged at them, which made the fire ferret let out a faint cry.

After reaching their destination, Bolin then set the cart down and quickly helped Eska off. Desna put Pabu aside from his seat and stepped off. He heard the Earthbender exchanging words with his sister, but barely paid attention as he waited for Eska to finish talking with him. As Eska started walking away from the Earthbender, telling him, "Foolish Bolin," Desna then followed her.

Meanwhile, around the same area, Asami entered a local library, eager to sit down, read, and relax. Looking around the countless shelves, she carefully studied the categories: History, Womens' Rights, Fiction...

Picking several books off the shelves, Asami then walked over to a section of the library where they had a circle of cushion chairs provided for the customers. She sat down with a small pile of books on her lap, and opened one of them up to read.

She was about five to ten minutes into the book when she heard a series of footsteps from a side of her ear that made her look up. It was Bolin, frantically running through the library (though being careful enough not to bump into anyone or anything). He saw her in his sight, and ran towards her.

"Oh, Asami," he breathed as he approached the sitting girl, "am I glad to see you!"

"Bolin, what are you doing here? What's the rush?"  
"Oh, uh, I just wanted to find a place to distance myself from my girlfriend for a while," he said a little nervously. "A-At least until it's time to hitch her and her brother back to their home."

"You seem nervous," Asami observed. "Is...everything okay?"

"Um...," he hesitated, "no, not really. You see, I just talked with Mako, and I asked him for advice on how to break up with her. She's been, uh...too...over-demanding. She treats me more like a servant than a partner, and I can't put up with her anymore."

Bolin's face went from nervous to sad, and Asami's face showed sympathy.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," she said. "I hope she'll understand."

"Yeah, me too," Bolin sulked.

He then reached into his pocket to pull something out.

"Here's a picture of us at that Glacier Spirits Festival we were at." Bolin handed Asami a black-and-white photograph of what appeared to be a pair of wooden shapes of cartoonish-looking Water Tribe civilians painted in heavy coats, with a hole on each of them for people to poke their own faces through; through the holes, Bolin's annoyed face was seen behind the short one on the left, while the slightly taller one on the right had Eska's face in the front, with half of her brother's in the back - Eska looked slightly annoyed with the idea of struggling to capture both her and Desna's faces. "I want to get rid of it. You're a nice person - will you take it away from me? I'm afraid that if I just throw it in the garbage, my girlfriend will find it and accuse me of trying to throw it away."

Asami took a closer look at the picture and realized that the two people who were with Bolin looked very familiar. She may have only been able to see half of their faces behind the cutout, but there was no denying it: Eska was Bolin's overbearing girlfriend!

"Huh?" Asami snapped back to the present. "Oh, yeah. Sure. And, if I ever meet this girlfriend of yours, I won't tell her about it."

"Sweet!" Bolin said happily. "I knew I could rely on you."

"Well, you _are_ my helpful assistant," Asami said with a smile.

After that, he then accompanied Asami by sitting down in the circle of chairs and reading his own choice of books, until the time came to retrieve Eska and Desna and take them back to their hut.

Asami could not figure out how to break the news to her friend that she could not believe that the girl he was seeing sounded so mean, while her brother seemed so nice. While she believed Bolin's words, she thought her response would seem a bit rude of her - like if she were denying that Eska could be a cruel person, just because she spent some quality time with Desna. Could Desna's kindness be an act? Could he show his ugly side to her later on?

Not to mention, a library did not seem like the most appropriate place to discuss something like this.

But Asami kept her promise about the photo. She decided to use it as a bookmark as she checked out some books when she left the library.


	5. Chapter 5

Bolin dragged the rickshaw up the snowy hill, heading towards the huts. He saw Korra's polar bear dog, Naga, along with Korra herself and Mako. As he slowed down and stopped next to them, he heard the following words:

"How about you take a break from all this Avatar stuff and we go out for a quiet dinner?" Mako asked, with a soft smile and both of his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders. "Just the two of us."

"A night out to dine?" Eska said suddenly, which made Mako, Korra, and Bolin turn to look at her. "Shall we join you?"

"Well, I just said...," Mako began to explain, but was interrupted.

"It does not matter!" Eska retorted, then looked down at her boyfriend. "Bolin! Take me and Desna on a double date with the Avatar and her intimate partner."

"Uh, um," Bolin stuttered with anxiety, but he knew he had no choice. "Yes, sweetie," he said, defeated, with his head bowed. He was very tired having to drag the twins around with the cart, and knew he was not done yet.

Mako and Korra looked at both Bolin and Eska, disappointed.

"So much for a quiet dinner," Mako whispered to Korra.

"But Eska," Desna said, "why should _I_ come along? Would that not make the double date a little odd?"

"Nonsense. You're my brother, and twins should always stick together." And then an idea immediately sparked in her mind. "Unless you want to bring someone on your own?"

"Oh! What a great idea!" Bolin said with excitement, turning to them. "How about someone like Ginger? Or, or...?"

"Asami?" Mako suggested.

"Asami!" Bolin gasped. "Good thinking, Mako! Now, all of us can be even on this triple date! How does that sound, Desna?"

While Bolin gladly remembered Asami promising him not to tell about the photo he gave away, along with the fact that a dear friend of his would be accompanying this disastrous date, Desna lowered his head to hide the surprised look in his eyes as he knew he was going to see the woman again.

Some time later that day, back at her apartment, Asami sat down at her desk, turning on the radio to hear some tunes while she got out her paper and pencils. She was going to sketch out some diagrams of Future Industries' next projects. At least, she hoped it would be their next.

But before she got any graphite on the paper, she heard a knock at the door. Putting down her pencil, she got up to answer.

"Bolin?"

"Hey, Asami!" Bolin greeted, raising his hand with an awkward smile. "Nice to see you again."

"You too, but what brings you here at this hour?"

"Well, um, my girlfriend and I are going to go on a double date with Mako and Korra. As you might know, my girlfriend has a twin brother, and he was going to tag along with us, but then it was suggested that he'd get his own date." He stepped aside, revealing Desna right behind him. "And here he is!"

 **Re: Desami [Rated T]**

« **Reply #5 on:** Jan 15, 2015 11:48 pm »

* * *

 _As you might tell, I've been having major writing block lately! D: My mind just felt a bit scrambled while I started writing this chapter, and I thought it was going to end up being terrible! Luckily, I don't think it turned out so bad. Listened to some of Donovan's_ Sunshine Superman _album while looking it over and trying to finish it up. Huh, maybe music really is a good motivation._

 **Chapter 5**

Bolin dragged the rickshaw up the snowy hill, heading towards the huts. He saw Korra's polar bear dog, Naga, along with Korra herself and Mako. As he slowed down and stopped next to them, he heard the following words:

"How about you take a break from all this Avatar stuff and we go out for a quiet dinner?" Mako asked, with a soft smile and both of his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders. "Just the two of us."

"A night out to dine?" Eska said suddenly, which made Mako, Korra, and Bolin turn to look at her. "Shall we join you?"

"Well, I just said...," Mako began to explain, but was interrupted.

"It does not matter!" Eska retorted, then looked down at her boyfriend. "Bolin! Take me and Desna on a double date with the Avatar and her intimate partner."

"Uh, um," Bolin stuttered with anxiety, but he knew he had no choice. "Yes, sweetie," he said, defeated, with his head bowed. He was very tired having to drag the twins around with the cart, and knew he was not done yet.

Mako and Korra looked at both Bolin and Eska, disappointed.

"So much for a quiet dinner," Mako whispered to Korra.

"But Eska," Desna said, "why should _I_ come along? Would that not make the double date a little odd?"

"Nonsense. You're my brother, and twins should always stick together." And then an idea immediately sparked in her mind. "Unless you want to bring someone on your own?"

"Oh! What a great idea!" Bolin said with excitement, turning to them. "How about someone like Ginger? Or, or...?"

"Asami?" Mako suggested.

"Asami!" Bolin gasped. "Good thinking, Mako! Now, all of us can be even on this triple date! How does that sound, Desna?"

While Bolin gladly remembered Asami promising him not to tell about the photo he gave away, along with the fact that a dear friend of his would be accompanying this disastrous date, Desna lowered his head to hide the surprised look in his eyes as he knew he was going to see the woman again.

Some time later that day, back at her apartment, Asami sat down at her desk, turning on the radio to hear some tunes while she got out her paper and pencils. She was going to sketch out some diagrams of Future Industries' next projects. At least, she hoped it would be their next.

But before she got any graphite on the paper, she heard a knock at the door. Putting down her pencil, she got up to answer.

"Bolin?"

"Hey, Asami!" Bolin greeted, raising his hand with an awkward smile. "Nice to see you again."

"You too, but what brings you here at this hour?"

"Well, um, my girlfriend and I are going to go on a double date with Mako and Korra. As you might know, my girlfriend has a twin brother, and he was going to tag along with us, but then it was suggested that he'd get his own date." He stepped aside, revealing Desna right behind him. "And here he is!"

Asami threw her head back a little in surprise.

"That's right," Bolin continued, "It was decided that his date should be you. Asami, this is Desna; Desna, Asami."

"Bolin, that's really nice of you, but..."

"Feeble turtleduck!" they heard a girl shout from below. "You should hurry up!"

Before Asami could finish her sentence, Bolin quickly turned around, marching past Desna and down the steps.

"I'll just leave you two alone!" he said. "I don't want my girlfriend to encase me in ice again. See you there!"

As Bolin left, Desna was left facing Asami on his own. After a moment of silence between the two, and the sound of the rickshaw wheeling away, Desna spoke up.

"It is nice to see you again," he told Asami. "I understand, this is very sudden, and even I never predicted this."

Asami chuckled.

"But it was my sister who made the decision. And now, I shall say what I have to: Asami, do you remember back at the Glacier Spirits Festival, I was going to tell you something before we saw the attack?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, what I was going to say was... Asami, I would like for us to spend more time together. As in, a date. Just the two of us."

Asami looked at Desna in shock. She did not know how to respond to such a request. But she knew her friends were waiting for her at the restaurant, and she knew in her heart she would never let them down.

"Okay, Desna," Asami replied with a small smile. "I'll go with you on this date. Let me just...," and she turned around to walk back to the table, where the radio was still playing songs. She turned it off, but left her art supplies untouched. She walked over to a closet to get out and put on her jacket and purse.

Putting on her mittens, she said, "I'm ready. You lead the way."

 _You already look beautiful_ , Desna thought as he nodded to her.

...

At the buffet, Korra and Mako sat at the table, already with their plates and bowls of food, frowning at Eska and Bolin, who were sitting across from them. They had not seen Desna and Asami, so they assumed that they were either late or could not arrive at all (considering that Bolin remembered that he forgot to tell them what restaurant they were going to be at, much to his dismay).

But Desna and Asami were there, although they ordered a table for themselves, around the back of the buffet, where their friends did not notice them.

"This was originally going to be a double date between Eska and Bolin with Korra and Mako. A triple date would simply be too much," Desna had explained.

After settling down, with their hands washed and plates of meals, Asami decided it was time to tell Desna what she had in mind.

"Desna, listen...," Asami began before the boy could pick up the food with his chopsticks. He paused and looked up at her.

"It's nice that you happen to like me - as in, have a crush on me. But I don't think I'm ready to do this again. You see, my last relationship was with Mako."

Desna, lifting his head in slight surprise, turned his head over to see, over some decorative plants and in the distance, Mako eating at the table with the Avatar.

"Yes, continue," Desna told Asami as he faced back to her, beginning to eat.

"Well, I met Mako about six months ago, in Republic City. We hit it off quite fast, going on plenty of dates together. He even got to meet my father. But, little did I know, he was starting to see Korra right behind my back." Asami's face began to sadden. "It took me weeks until Bolin finally told me that he saw Mako and Korra kiss while I was dating him. I kept trying to get Mako to confess to me himself, but he just couldn't, for some reason." She gazed over at her ex from across. "I thought I trusted him completely. But he betrayed me, even after I expressed how much I loved him."

"Are you not mad at him, or Korra?"

"I was, at first," Asami chuckled. "But now I'm over it. It was a long time ago anyway. Still, I don't think I'm ready for a new relationship."

"I understand," Desna replied, almost halfheartedly.

After they both took a bite of their food, Desna spoke up again.

"Why do you still associate with them?"

"Hmm? You mean, why am I still friends with them?" Desna nodded. "Well, can't hold a grudge, can I? It's not my way of dealing with things. At least, what they did is nothing compared to what my father did."

Desna, eating with his mouth full, gave a puzzled look, which Asami noticed.

 _Whoops, perhaps I said too much_ , thought Asami, hesitating to say this out loud.

But, much to her relief, Desna decided not to ask about her father any further, since he figured it might be a grim subject for a public place.

While the food was good and they conversed about some other stuff, Desna was a little saddened to learn that Asami was not interested in becoming his partner. Although it was not surprising for him to learn that Korra would have Mako cheat on Asami, considering that he remembers the Avatar being selfish even when they were young kids.


	6. Chapter 6

After they finished and paid for their meals, Asami looked across the room to see that the others were leaving, too. Desna noticed this as well, and decided to make their presence known.

Outside, Desna and Asami appeared before their friends.

"Oh! Desna, Asami," Korra said, astounded (as were everyone else). "I... didn't even know you were here."

"I didn't even think you'd be here," Bolin said, "especially since I forgot to remind you where we'd be!"

"Yes, well," Desna explained, "I remembered which restaurant we would be dining at." He glanced at Asami. "When Asami and I arrived, we ordered a table in the back of the room, behind some plants. Which explains why you did not notice us."

"Well, you could have just looked for where we were and sat down with us," said Bolin. "After all, wasn't this supposed to be a triple date?"

Desna chose to remain silent.

On their way back, Bolin was again forced to pull the cart with Desna and Eska. Mako and Korra were riding on the polar dog, while Asami had chosen to depart on her own since she had memorized where she came from.

Eska decided to take the opportunity to talk to her brother.

"How was your date with Miss Sato?" she whispered to him, choosing to have this discussion only between the two of them without Bolin hearing.

"It went well," Desna whispered back. "Only, due to a past failed romance, she told me that she is not looking for intimacy at the moment."

Eska notice some sadness had crept to his face.

"I am sorry to hear that," she whispered sympathetically.

When they arrived back at the huts, Unalaq was standing outside, waiting. The twins got down from the cart and headed towards the doorway. No one bid Bolin good-bye, so he collapsed on the snow, exhausted.

"How was your dinner?" Unalaq asked, eyeing the tired Earthbender in the distance.

"It went well," Eska answered, passing by him.

"Honestly, daughter," Unalaq said, shaking his head, "I can see that you are being too hard on the boy. Are you only his companion so you can bully him?"

"It is fun for me," Eska sneered.

"What do you even see in him?" the chief turned to look back at Bolin, who managed to get up and wipe some snow off himself. "He's a clumsy oaf. Adorable, perhaps, but not as attractive as his brother, whom the Avatar is dating."

The girl felt some anger spark within her.

"Why are you comparing?" she let out. "You always speak so fondly of Avatar Korra, it is almost as if you wish she were your own!"

"I never said anything of the sort," Unalaq said, slightly startled by his daughter's raised voice.

Desna only looked at the two, and though, while looking like his usual expressionless self, he was, too, surprised by Eska's retort against their father. Sure, there were times when he did not seem like the kindest person, but not once did either of his children ever act like this with him, until this moment.

...

The following morning, Desna and Eska were sound asleep, only to be awakened by the sound of their father nudging them slightly with a raised voice.

"Desna, Eska," he said, "wake up!"

The twins opened their eyes and looked up at their father.

"What is it, father?" Desna inquired. Usually, the twins would get up by themselves.

"It's an emergency," Unalaq said, with a little but of fear visible in his eyes as he looked to the doorway and back to his kids. "It's about your aunt and uncle - Korra's parents. The... They're saying that they've been wanting to assassinate me."


	7. Chapter 7

Asami stood waiting in the lounge. The lounge was a very decorative place: there were animal heads mounted on the walls, a fur rug, and in the corner, a stuffed platypus-bear standing on its hind legs. Her friends, Mako and Bolin, were sitting on a couch by a spacious window, with Bolin having his pet fire ferret, Pabu, resting on his chest.

"Where's Varrick?" Asami asked with her arms crossed, "We should've closed our deal hours ago."

"Would you relax?" Bolin replied with a smile on his face, "This place is great. And the best part about it? Eska doesn't know I'm here."

With that, Bolin leaned back and put his hands behind his head. However, he had spoken too soon. The double doors to the lounge was then opened by two Northern Water Tribe soldiers, and in between them walked Desna and Eska.

"Er, uh...," Bolin stammered as he startled up with a nervous smile, "I wasn't hiding. Hey..."

"I'm not on the hunt for you," was Eska's response, before narrowing her eyes and adding "currently."

The two Northern soldiers began searching around the room.

"We search of Varrick," Desna spoke up. "Our father wishes him to stand trial."

"What did he do?" asked Asami.

"He is a traitor to the Water Tribe," answered Eska, "along with our aunt and uncle."

"What?" Asami went wide-eyed with shock. She felt her heart sink at the thought of maybe never being able to save the Industries.

"Korra's parents were arrested?" inquired Mako.

"Yes," Desna responded to Mako, before crinkling his eyebrows slightly to add, "Your powers of deduction are impressive."

"Yeah, he's a cop," Bolin informed a little proudly.

After they were through looking around, the two soldiers approached the twins back at the doorway.

"Varrick is not here," one of them said.

"Very well," Eska put simply, then turned to her brother. "Desna, let us continue our search elsewhere."

As they all turned to leave, Desna caught a glance of Asami's concerned face of all the Avatar's friends before walking out. Before she stepped out of the room with them, Eska swiftly turned around to glare at Bolin.

"Boyfriend! Bow to me when I exit," was her demand.

"Yes!" Bolin answered cowardly as he lowered himself to the floor, "Yes, my sweet koala-bear!"

"You are so cute when you grovel," Eska remarked with a smirk on her face, and then walked out, with the doors closing.

Asami and Mako stared at the closed doors for a second before Asami cast her eyes down at a still-bowing Bolin (who was now trembling).

"Don't let her treat you that way," she told him, surprised by Eska's cruelty. "Stand up for yourself."

Bolin stood back up on his feet. "I tried to break up with her, but Mako gave me terrible advice."

"Wait, how is this my fault?" Mako asked.

Before Bolin could respond, Asami asked, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that he should say that he just doesn't feel that spark between him and Eska anymore," the Firebender explained with a bit of a perplexed expression.

"That's all? Bolin," Asami continued, with more concern showing now, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You need to be honest with her - tell her how you really feel."

-

As the twins and soldiers continued walking down the hallway, Eska shifted her eyes to look at Desna without turning her head. She noticed the way her brother had his eyes on Asami in the room, even as they walked out. Was he perhaps admiring her beauty? How long would he be attracted to her, she wondered. After all, this all seemed unrequited.

She still felt sorry for him, especially how she already had Bolin while he remained single.

Eska would have liked to ask Desna all of these questions, but knew that this was not the appropriate time.


	8. Chapter 8

Asami, along with Mako and Bolin, attended the trail.

When the judge declared recess time, everyone began to go their seperate ways; Asami noticed Bolin running up to talk to Eska in a seperate hallway. She looked to her other side, and saw Desna heading a different direction. She approached him.

"Hey, Desna," she said, and the boy turned around. "I'm sorry you and your family have to go through something like this. It must be very hard."

"Truth be told Asami, I do not have any sympathy for Korra."

Asami's eyes widened at this statement. "What? Your own cousin?"

"While I do symapathize with my aunt and uncle, and do hope that they are proven innocent, I feel nothing for her." He drew out a breath, extended a finger, and waved it forward. "Follow me, and I'll further explain."

So she did. As they walked through these double doors that lead an outside balcony, Asami remembered the defeated sound in Korra's voice as she stood trail back in the courtroom; how much she tried to convince the judge that her parents were innocent.  
And how the Avatar's father and mother had their heads sunk throughout. _To think that her own cousin...!_

"Here we are," Desna said. "It is much nicer to have conversations out in the open."

"Now," Asami leaned on the balcony with one hand and put the other on her hip as she faced him with a perplexed expression, "explain."

"Okay," Desna responded, and took a few seconds to look out in the distance. "Do you remember, during our night out to dinner, you said that Korra was seeing your then boyfriend behind your back?" She nodded. "Well, it was no surprise to me. Ever since we were kids, Korra has always been selfish like that. She would always gloat about how she's the new Avatar whilst destroying the house with her elements."

Asami was surprised by this information, though she had to stifle a giggle at picturing Korra as a child wrecking the furniture in her home with her Airbending as her parents tried to get ahold of her.

"When we would play, Korra had her moments when she'd triumphantly talk about how she's more powerful than my sister and I. As you might tell, there's quite a contrast between her and me. Eska and I would always be busy meditating, and at times, Korra would interrupt us by splashing water over us, wanting to find herself spiritually in a more 'fun' way."

Asami had a look of concern on her face, but she continued to listen.

"Korra...," he exhaled, "is complicated. Even when she had a wise Airbending master - the son of Aang - to be her teacher, she chose our dad over him. Why? Because she felt that patience with learning her skills was out of the question."

There was a bit of silence.

"I see," Asami said. She did not say this in a matter-of-fact tone; she said it with complete understanding, and sympathy.

-

Asami was indeed attracted to Desna - she had been ever since she first met him. But she still had to remind herself of what happened between her and Mako. The thought of even acting upon her feelings with a new boy scared her a bit - Even if he seemed to be a much better match. She was glad that she learned more about him during the trail's recess, but was still surprised how much Korra's bullying and selfishness had made him and his twin sister despise their cousin to the point of not caring what happens to her (except for her parents).


	9. Chapter 9

"Who could have foreseen this?" Desna asked non-chalantly. "Our aunt is found innocent, but the rest are guilty."

He and Eska walked their way out of the building. Unalaq stayed behind to try and discuss matters with Judge Hotah.

"And did you hear how Korra yelled at the judge, threatened to end _his_ life?" Eska inquired, shaking her head. "That woman is just as brash as ever."

"Hopefully, our father will set things straight. I do not think that there's enough solid evidence to prove that our uncle is responsible."

"Me neither. What an absurd situation."

-

Later that day, back at the Southern Water Tribe, Eska had Bolin (with Pabu around his shoulders) follow him into a room. There, Desna was sitting at a desk.

"Desna, brother, I proposed to Bolin earlier today, as you can see from his necklace." She gestured her long fingers towards her own betrothal necklace hanging around Bolin's throat. Bolin had a look of fear and anxiety on his face, and he looked like he had just been crying. "He has been shedding tears of joy."

"Congratulations," Desna said.

"Thank you. I would like you to make the lucky groom's wedding robe by sunset. Along with his silly pet."

"You're getting married this very day?" Desna asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes."

"Have you told our father?"

"No, not yet. He is still busy. But when the time comes, I shall tell him that I'm now a wife." And she turned around and left, closing the door behind her.

"Look, I know you're brother and sister, but, can you please, maybe, defy her orders on this?" Bolin asked nervously. Pabu chittered, seeming to plead as well.

"What Eska wants, she gets," Desna replied. "I've never let her down. I am also an experienced tailor, so this should not take too long." He then took out a ribbon of measuring tape for the boy and his pet.

-

Asami walked through the halls of the Southern Water Tribe. Then her eyes caught the attention of a door opening to reveal Bolin and Pabu stumbling out in identical traditional Water Tribe groom robes. Their heads had also been combed down neatly.

"Thank you for your cooperation," she heard a voice say, whom she could recognize as Desna's. (Admittedly, even hearing his low, somewhat gritty voice sent her chills down her spine.)

The door closed and Bolin only sighed in defeat.

"What happened?" Asami asked as she approached the Earthbender.

"My second attempt to break-up with Eska didn't go very well," Bolin grumbled. "I took your advice and tried to be honest. But then she decided to take it a step further and now wants us to be married!"

"Married, huh? So that way, you can't get away?" She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She glanced down at Pabu, who looked very annoyed in his attire.

"Yup."

"Maybe I should meet this girlfrie- I mean, fiance, of yours. Maybe then I can give her a piece of my mind." Her eyebrows slowly narrowed and her mouth turned into a little grin.

"Thanks, but I think it's a little too late for that. We're getting married tonight."

"Is there anything else you can do?"

"I could try...running away," Bolin's eyes then lit up, and a smile slowly grew on his mouth. "Oh, what a great idea!" He jumped, then hugged Asami. "Thank you for your concern! Come on, Pabu!" He and his fire ferrett then ran down the hall, to the room where his friends were so he could hide away again in the meantime. Asami again hoped things would turn out well for him, and she headed home.

-

When the sun had set, Eska wore a beautiful Water Tribe wedding dress. On her hair were little white veils with pale blue flowers pinned on each side of her head, from which also dangled amethyst gems. The design that was attached to the dress looked like large spikes emerging from behind her head. And around her eyes was more purple makeup than she usually wore.

She had chosen where the wedding would take place, which was at a gazebo, near a lake, where the setting sun was in clear view.

Not a lot of people were there, including Unalaq. And did Bolin not show up either. Finally, as the time passed and it got dark, Eska turned around, away from the pastor, with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"He didn't show up," she quivered. "Where could he have gone? I was very specific with..." As she staggered forward, Desna got up from his seat and approached her.

"Now, sister," he said assuredly, "maybe he is only running late, or got lost."

"No...no, that can't be it," she whispered, her widened eyes darting from side to side. "He must've..." But before she could finish her sentence, the bride dashed aside, away from the scene, hunting down for her runaway groom. Desna, along with everyone else there, only watched, feeling confused.


End file.
